


For but a chance

by trascendenza



Category: Crossing Jordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e23 Secrets & Lies, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 06:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3164879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trascendenza/pseuds/trascendenza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Woody doesn’t let her walk away this time. AU of 1x23: Secrets & Lies. <em>“I’m coming. We’ll find this guy, and we’ll get answers.”</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	For but a chance

“I was only ten.”

“What?”

“It’s not fair.”

Jordan’s voice sounded so young, so vulnerable; Woody felt a pang in his chest, a painful pressure against his sternum.

She broke eye contact, turning to walk away.

The moment slowed and his senses kicked in, the way they did when he caught sight of a gun being pulled in his periphery vision, when he heard the scrape of shoes on pavement behind him where there shouldn’t be, or when he instinctively knew not to stand in front of the suspect’s door when knocking.

The thing was that with Jordan, it was always a feet-pounding-pavement-heart-roaring-in-his-ears chase. And now he was coming to a crossroads, and he could see the two possibilities laid out with frightening clarity.

Veer one way, and this is where they’d stagnate: she’d let him in this far, and no further. At the slightest hint of things getting real, she’d be gone. Status quo – rinse, repeat.

Veer the other way, and he’d be turning into the unknown, with no guarantees of what would become of their jobs, their lives, of what their relationship might look like. There was only the slightest possibility that any of this would turn out well and so many ways it could all go wrong. Logically, he should just let her go, and get as far away as he could from the swath of destruction he was sure she’d wreak.

“Jordan,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand before she could slip away, catching her in an iron grip. “We’ll do this together.”

“Let me go,” she said, but there was no force in her tone, none of her usual sharpness.

“I’m going to help you find him,” he repeated, not letting up. He stepped towards her, closing the distance between them.

She wasn’t looking at him, hair falling over her face. She seemed almost limp, like she could barely keep herself up. He could feel her hand shaking in his, and even as she was reflexively trying to pull away from his grip she was holding onto him just as tightly.

Slowly, with great effort, she looked up at him. Her eyes were pleading. “Woody,” she exhaled.

“We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to,” he said, softy, slowly pulling her in until her forehead rested against his shoulder. The last of the fight drained out of her. He leaned his head down, resting his cheek against the crown of her head. “But I’m coming. We’ll find this guy, and we’ll get answers.”

“I shouldn’t let you do this,” she murmured into his shirt, “I should protect you from this.”

He smiled into her hair. “I’m taking a page out of your book, Jordan. You’re not going to shake me this time.”

She sighed, stepping back, and this time he let her. She straightened up, blinking, and seemed to come back to herself. She looked at him for a moment, assessing, and whatever she saw apparently satisfied her.

“Fine,” she bit out. “But I’m not slowing down, so you’d better keep up.” She turned suddenly on her heel, stalking out.

“Right behind you!” he said quickly, hurrying to keep pace.

She glanced at him sidelong as they walked out to the car, a wry twist to her lips; he saw a glint of the Jordan he knew there, though still rough around the edges. The pressure in his chest finally began to ease, and he allowed himself a smile as they exited the building, side by side. Logic be damned, but there’d been no choice; he’d follow that spark wherever it led, because he’d do anything to keep it from going out.


End file.
